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How much of that would you attest to being a style change for the sake of the arc vs him switching over from pen and paper to digital? Thats often the go to explanation I've heard from people as to why Guts and crew are sometimes off model compared to a couple volumes prior but I have no knowledge on the credence of this. It does seem pretty obvious to me that its switched to digital but Im skeptical on that being the main reason why the style has changed, Im guessing you'd agree that the change is voluntary?

I doubt that going digital changed his style completely. Atmosphere and surroundings definitely have an effect, but like i said, the art style has been this way pretty much since Falconia. The biggest difference that came with going digital is definitely the use of lines. I think the art style is much more of a mood thing. It changes all the time though with Miura, so who knows when we will see a big change again.

It's not that deep. Miura has been using this art style, since pretty much Falconia now. Bigger eyes, smaller nose, wider face. It's much more modern anime-esque, which doesn't surprise me, as todays series that use that style probably have an influence on him. One thing is sure for me though, the general art style looked at it's best late MF arc.

How much of that would you attest to being a style change for the sake of the arc vs him switching over from pen and paper to digital? Thats often the go to explanation I've heard from people as to why Guts and crew are sometimes off model compared to a couple volumes prior but I have no knowledge on the credence of this. It does seem pretty obvious to me that its switched to digital but Im skeptical on that being the main reason why the style has changed, Im guessing you'd agree that the change is voluntary?

Also, I have some thoughts on the art itself: The Berserk subreddit is full of people complaining about her eyes looking too big. I was honestly taken aback at first too, but upon reflection, it makes perfect sense to have them so large as a way of drawing attention to them. The more angular, almond-like shape the have here (compared to their rounder style from her days as Elaine) serves to demonstrate her lucidity. As westerners, it might look quite exaggerated, but it's totally deliberate. This brings to mind a psychology experiment from 2007 comparing Japanese and American facial expressions. They found that, compared to facial expression in America, facial expressions in Japan rely more on the eyes to convey information and less on the mouth. This might help explain why this stylistic choice is so jarring to some westerners. (NB: I am really not a psychologist.)

It's not that deep. Miura has been using this art style, since pretty much Falconia now. Bigger eyes, smaller nose, wider face. It's much more modern anime-esque, which doesn't surprise me, as todays series that use that style probably have an influence on him. One thing is sure for me though, the general art style looked at it's best late MF arc.

Ack! I gave in - I'll click the spoiler. But only after reviewing the chapters immediately post-eclipse to open myself up to the full weight of what I might see. I want this to hit me like a truck.*some time later*Oh lord she remembers. The anticipation is only rising!

Also, I have some thoughts on the art itself: The Berserk subreddit is full of people complaining about her eyes looking too big. I was honestly taken aback at first too, but upon reflection, it makes perfect sense to have them so large as a way of drawing attention to them. The more angular, almond-like shape the have here (compared to their rounder style from her days as Elaine) serves to demonstrate her lucidity. As westerners, it might look quite exaggerated, but it's totally deliberate. This brings to mind a psychology experiment from 2007 comparing Japanese and American facial expressions. They found that, compared to facial expression in America, facial expressions in Japan rely more on the eyes to convey information and less on the mouth. This might help explain why this stylistic choice is so jarring to some westerners. (NB: I am really not a psychologist.)

citation for the article I mentioned: Yuki, M., Maddux, W. W., & Masuda, T. (2007). Are the windows to the soul the same in the East and West? Cultural differences in using the eyes and mouth as cues to recognize emotions in Japan and the United States. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43(2), 303-311.

I agree with the Marvel/Superhero fatigue being expressed here, it'll take a lot more for most Marvel movies now to impress me compared to the first phase since the formality of it all is really starting to make viewing each new film a repetitive experience, I do however disagree with you Griffith on Spider-man Homecoming, I think its one of the best Marvel movies in years (up there with Iron Man, the Avengers, Winter Soldier and GotG 1 imo) and debatably the best Spidey film yet since it felt the most true to his character (I'd have it tied with Spider-man 2, with Spider-man 1 being 2nd/3rd best and Spider-man 3, Amazing and Amazing 2 being all crap).

In the Sam Raimi movies they nailed the nerdy aspect to his character but overall Peter himself was too much of a doofus, they express that he's a genius but its never really explicitly shown, in Amazing they did a better job at portraying Spider-man's smartass attitude but Garfield as Peter was awful casting and didn't pass off as a guy who'd get bullied in school, too much of a pretty boy skateboarding hipster, at the very least they did demonstrate his genius level intellect but they immediately ruin it by having him do dumb things like leaving a camera with his full name etched onto it behind in the sewers near the Lizard. The only thing that positively stands out about the Amazing movies is Garfield's chemistry with Emma Stone.

In contrast, Homecoming shows a Peter whose an anxious teenager, has strong convictions (I loved the short montage scene where he does lil mundane things like save cats from trees and help old ladies across the street, demonstrates perfectly how he's the "friendly neighbourhood" Spider-man), struggles with his inexperience as a hero and every day school boy, his intellect is undermined by his dependence on Tony but I'd still say it balances the genius/doofus side to his character better than past iterations. Michael Keaton's Vulture was also one of the best MCU villains to date (not that that's saying much but still) and up there with Doc Ock as far as on screen Spidey villains go.

I have my issues with it like Iron Man being the key motivator for him to get out of the rubble rather than a memory of Uncle Ben or something (I wish Uncle Ben had more of a presence in the movie but don't get me wrong, I don't want nor expect another redoing of the origin, simply hearing Ben's voice in Peter's inner monologue rather than Tony would've been enough for me, Peter's infatuation with Tony undermines Ben too much in my eyes who should still serve a minor role in the MCU's first Spidey movie) but compared to recent Marvel films I had a much better viewing experience. Im biased though, Spider-man is my favorite light hearted hero (in distinction from my favorite heroes overall being Punisher and Ghost Rider).

Dr. Strange and Black Panther were good but borderline mediocre, just okay really and in Black Panther's case, extremely overhyped. I'm interested in seeing Infinity War since its such a large ensemble cast and Im a fan of the original Infinity Gauntlet storyline but I can't say Im super excited or anything, I don't have any expectations, I feel like reflecting on the 10 year build up in anticipation would only lead to me being disappointed in it as an adaption even if the movie itself ends up good on its own merits.

Hmmm thats a really tough call Griffith, for me the one artist I'd stick with (mostly due to how vast their collaborative contributions are in addition to their own stellar catalogues) would be a toss up between Kanye West, Babyface and Bootsy Collins, I honestly can't pick which one out of the 3, good question but its a tough one. My answer is bound to change but today's mood has me leaning towards the Yeezy god himself .

NightCrawler's variation:

What You Won't Do For Love - Bobby Caldwell (A lil cheesy by today's standards but I associate it with a lot of memories and personal events)Picture Of My Life - Jamiroquai Happy Home (Original Unreleased Mix) - 2Pac (The version most have heard off of Until The End of Time is over produced glitzy clean crap but the original mix initially leaked through the Makaveli bootlegs is fantastic, so good that I actually got some lyrics from it tatted on my left arm; the following pic is like 3 years old though so its not as fresh anymore but it still looks good)

I think the last one I liked or was impressed by was Civil War, which sort of felt like the darker, more introspective Avengers sequel AoU failed to be. I haven't seen Panther yet, probably won't see Doctor Strange, and just saw Spider-Man: Homecoming this weekend, which was similarly underwhelming given its reputation. I mean, it was fine, but low stakes, casual, and by the numbers Marvel at this point (almost like a sitcom), and probably the third or fourth best Spider-Man movie I've seen (fifth counting Civil War =). Basically, for all the "Marvel homecoming" hype, and the promise the character showed in Civil War, the movie did little to distinguish itself from those that came before it.

I haven't seen Homecoming or Guardians of the Galaxy 2. My current plan is to watch 3 MCU films per week leading up to Infinity War. So those first 2 weeks? Pretty fun. Next 2 weeks? Not so fun. Last 3 weeks? Very unfun

Now that we know Casca has kept her memories, I really hope she doesn't hold a grudge against Guts for his abandonment of her, plus his attack on her in volume 23. To me that wouldn't be fair for Guts. I'd say he's done his share to amend those hurts since then. Maybe she'll understand that it wasn't him being in total control of himself or his emotions during those times after the eclipse. He was in as much emotional distress as she was, they just dealt with those pains differently. I guess we will have to wait and see.

Well, that's definitely interesting and pretty cool that we're getting right to it! Also, I'm amazed how different Casca looks now, it could just be the liveliness of her eyes but it makes her whole face look different.

It's funny, her eyes are the first thing that struck me. I had the same reaction, it makes her face look completely different.

Also, Casca's first words in about two decades(!) and yet the lamest stuff pleases me: We can now semi-officially retroactively refer to Casca's broken phase as the "Elaine Era." Nice and clean.

I'm both surprised and amazed that Miura went for it (having her refer to herself as "Elaine", with a furigana that says "I", which is worth noting). It's kind of strange because these people never knew her by that name, but it also conveys in the most effective way possible that she remembers everything. And I guess it tells us something about how she now perceives the state she was in. What a nice hat tip to Luka's gang, too. I have been dreaming of these two meeting again someday (with Casca being a super badass by then), and that's redoubled now.

All this tantalizing blacked-out text! How much is in this little leak? Is it like a random page from the middle with a bunch of panels of dialogue, or is it more like the episode's splash art or something along those lines? Depending on what all it gives away, I look now, or I may (try to) wait a few days longer.

Come on man, we're not going to start describing every leak! Just check the picture or don't!